Evaluation & Awards

"PRÉMIO LUSO-ESPANHOL DE QUÍMICA", attributed by Sociedade Portuguesa de Química and by Real Sociedad Española de Química, 2017.

“The Collected Papers of H. S. ISBELL”
by the American Chemical Society Division of Carbohydrate Chemistry,
given by Prof. Derek Horton for the foundation of the Iberian
Carbohydrate Meetings in 1999.

Group Evaluation

The Group was established in 2001 when the Center of Chemistry
and Biochemistry (CQB) was formed. CQB international evaluation took
place twice, in 2002 and in 2007.

1. Citation of the comments concerning the Group in 2002 (in http://www.fct.mctes.pt/unidades/relatorio2005/docs/03-Chemistry.pdf,
page 16): ...”Of particular note are the groups in
Inorganic
and Computational Chemistry, Interfacial Electrochemistry, Carbohydrate
Chemistry and Molecular Energetics where both the quality of the work
carried out and the level of scientific production were very high.
The Carbohydrate Chemistry group has results that are totally original
and may lead to many applications in domains of the interface between
chemistry and biology. It should be given priority finance.”

2. Citation of the evaluation of the Group in 2007 (in http://alfa.fct.mctes.pt/apoios/unidades/avaliacoes/2007/painel?uid={8CAB2E1A-BD47-4C22-B18A-DFED0E58078C})
“The Carbohydrate Chemistry Group (612-640) under
the
direction of Professor Amelia Pilar Grases Santos Silva Rauter is again
rather small, composed of 2 Ph.D. permanent members of staff, 3
post-doctoral fellows and 13 other (non Ph.D.) researchers. They have
demonstrated an outstanding productivity which has taken them to an
international level.
The chemistry they have developed on carbohydrates can be considered as
one of the most creative in Portugal. Despite the small size of this
Group, several projects are successfully underway. The most interesting
results deal with the synthesis of miharamycine, a glyco-aminoacid of
great interest for use as fungicide.
This project is conducted in collaboration with a foreign world-leading
laboratory and might soon realize the total synthesis of this product
and the determination of its absolute configuration. This project has
already allowed the development of new methods for the C-glycosylation
of activated compounds and the introduction of an amino acid function
on C-6.
The synthesis of insecticidal compounds in which the sugar is linked to
a butenolide is also very promising. This project, conducted in
collaboration with a French laboratory, is supported by an agrochemical
company. A third project, which appears to be very interesting,
involves the synthesis of difluoro analogues of sugars. These more
stable derivatives can lead to metabolic resistant glycoconjugates and
have many applications.
The chemists of this Group have decided to apply their knowledge to the
preparation of new antibiotics. Independently to these main projects,
some other lines have been developed such as the use of zeolites in
Ferrier reactions, the synthesis of new oxetane amino acids and proline
sugar derivatives and the design of new substances which can be used
against Alzheimer and prion diseases.
The last project deals with the study of natural compounds isolated
from an endemic Portuguese plant. The chemists involved in this project
have developed a new method to synthesize C-glycosyl flavonoids which
are studied for their antidiabetic properties. This Group has developed
an impressive network of collaborations with some of the best
laboratories working in the same field of research. They also have some
industrial partners who are interested in the development of their most
active compounds.
All of the students have the opportunity to spend training periods in
foreign laboratories. They have a high level of funding. The
researchers of the Group might however be encouraged to publish their
articles in higher impact factor journals. In summary, this Group can
be considered as one of the most active in Portugal. They are involved
in a very original chemistry and have already obtained very promising
results. Their leading position is well recognized as indicated by
their involvement in different European organizations”